A Whole New World
by shelly0701
Summary: A seemingly normal girl named Lakukeshi steps into the lives of the Sohma family. Yet behind her act...she hides her secret. In what way will she affect Kyo and Yuki? Please R&R! KyoXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, this is my second fanfic! I hope you enjoy it! However, moment of warning: I have created a new character, and unfortunately Tohru is no longer the main character in this story. But, she is still important, and i hope you'll still like it anyway. **

**ALSO! I have a "problem", and I would appreciate it if you would tell me which character you like better, Kyo or Yuki. Thank you! **

**Well, that being said...plz R&R, and enjoy!

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CHAPTER 1

"Um…hi. My name is Lakukeshi Takai, and I just moved here from America." A pale, black-haired girl said with an accent.

All the guys in the class started muttering and put on their "macho" looks from the pretty exchange student. Only Yuki and Kyo stayed silent. They were looking at Hana, who had that suspicious look on her face whenever she detected strange waves. Wondering why this new girl made Hanajima look so troubled, Yuki and Kyo looked at the girl, and immediately blushed.

As he turned pink, Yuki smiled at the girl, who immediately lokoed away.

"She has been…killed" Hana's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"What! Killed? Are you crazy? She's standing right in front of me!" Kyo scowled.

Hana swung her gaze over to him, and he flinched.

"No. What I mean is…she has been beaten. Can you not detect the waves emitting from her? She is full of sorrow, anger, and regret. Can't even you, the ignorant Kyon-Kyon, see that she is withdrawn?"

Kyo quickly grew serious. "How do you know?"

"Look in her eyes." Hana snapped, her hair fluttering slightly in the wind that came through the open window.

Yuki looked at Lakukeshi. Now that Hana metioned it, her eyes did look…dead. Looking closer, he could see a faint jagged scar twisting all the way down her left arm.

All of a sudden, the teacher accidentally bumped into her.

"Ah!" Lakukeshi fell to the floor. Her legs lay sprawled, revealing a mass of scars and bruises.

"NO!" Lakukeshi jumped up and ran out the door, leaving commotion and noisy chaos behind.

* * *

"Ding!" the bell rang, signaling the end of school.

"Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun!" Tohru waved her arms crazily at the front of the entrance.

A little while later, they were walking down a beaten path to Shigure's house.

"Oh! You're home!" Shigure cheerily called while he ran past the door, closely chased by Mii (his editor.)

Yuki sighed. It seemed like everyday they came home to chaos. Dropping his case on the floor, he swept out of the house. Walking down the road, he noticed that there seemed to be a huddled figure in front of a cheap, tacky apartment that had been bought just yesterday. His pace quickening to a run, he thought,

_Could it be Takai-san?_

Astonished, he stopped in front of the dirty and tattered girl. She was hunched over on her knees, and her dark black hair hung in her face.

"Takai-san?" Yuki couldn't believe that he was even here asking.

The girl lifted her head and struggled to her feet. "What? Don't call me 'Takai-san'. I don't want any relation to that silly uncle of mine." She snapped.

Yuki, taken aback that she could even stand considering her scratches and bruises, glanced at her left hand, which had a fresh cut with blood oozing out.

"What?" Lakukeshi caught his glance. "Oh. That was partly my fault. I shouldn't have come home so early. I should have known Uncle wouldn't have been happy…"

"Lakukeshi…kun?" Yuki asked, aware that the girl he was talking to was being abused.

"What?" Don't give me pity. I don't need it." Lakukeshi muttered, looking away.

"Come with me. You can't stay here, being beaten like this." Yuki proposed.

"I said I don't need your pity, so just-'' Lakukeshi broke off suddenly and gasped. Holding her stomach with one hand, she collapsed to the ground.

"Come on. I'll take you to the Sohma house." Yuki didn't wait for an answer. Feeling extremely stupid, he scooped her up in his arms, careful not to hug her. The last thing he needed was for Lakukeshi to find out he was cursed.

* * *

LATER

"Yuki. You understand that Akito will probably be most displeased." Shigure sighed, running his hand through his hair.

Yuki said nothing. Hatori had come over to take care of Lakukeshi, and Tohru was cooking dinner.

"Ah! Here Hatori comes now!" Shigure paused.

"She is in a dangerous state. Many of her scars will not go away. Her stomach has a large bruise, and a jagged scar on her shoulder had reopened." Hatori said, sighing as he massaged his aching temples.

At that moment, Kyo came in. "Does she know our secret? Why did you bring her here anyway, you stupid rat?"

Yuki didn't reply. He got up and walked out of the house. After all of this confusion, he needed some time to think at his secret base. Walking down the path, he as startled to see Lakukeshi crouching down beside the garden.

"Lakukeshi-kun! What are you doing? You should be at home, resting!"

She looked up. "Oh…it's OK. I'm fine, really. I wanted to thank you for bringing me here and everything. I…I really appreciate it."

Taken aback, Yuki smiled and shrugged. "It was nothing. Now let's go back. You need to rest."

"No, I'll walk by myself. You stay here; please don't go into the trouble for me." Lakukeshi protested, and she walked down the path.

A while later, Lakukeshi cursed. As much as she hated to admit it, she was lost in this god-forsaken forest. Suddenly, as she walked by a towering tree with hanging branches, a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulders.

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**Well, that's it for the 1st chappie! Hope you enjoyed! **


	2. The Beginning

**Hey! Here's the 2nd chappie! Hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket **

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Chapter 2

"EEEYAAAGH!" Lakukeshi screamed and turned around, slapping the person full force across the face.

It was Kyo.

Looking grumpier than ever, he groaned and touched his burning cheek. "You really hurt, you know that?"

Lakukeshi couldn't help giggling. "I'm so sorry!" she laughed.

"Whatever. Come on, let's go home." Kyo slapped her lightly on the head, and they set off.

Walking along the path, Lakukeshi thought of how she was so lucky. The Sohmas had taken her in without a second thought; she really was very fortunate. She was so tangled up in her thoughts, she didn't watch where she was going, and she tripped over a rock. "Ah!" she fell.

Kyo leapt to catch her, and in the process, his arms went around her to break her fall, and…

POOF!

Groaning, Lakukeshi wobbled up. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the eyes of a VERY annoyed cat.

"E-EH! Kyo-kun? A-are you this cat? Can you hear me!" Lakukeshi freaked out and shook the poor cat frenzily.

"Yeah, I can hear you! Now stop shaking me!" the cat spoke grumpily.

"AAAGHH!" Lakukeshi screamed. "Kyo-kun! Don't worry! I'll take you to the doctor! Or should I take you to the veterinarian? AHH! Which one is it, Kyo-kuuuuun!"

"Stop it! The game's up." Kyo sighed. "Basically, the Sohma family is cursed by the animals of the zodiac. I'm the cat, stupid Yuki is the rat, the idiot pervert Shigure is the dog, and Hatori, your doctor, is the dragon."

Lakukeshi stared. The silence stretched out uncomfortably, and Kyo's fur (or hair?) started to bristle.

Unexpectedly, Yuki strode in. His eyes wide, he quickly understood what happened. "Lakukeshi. Hold Kyo. We're going home." Yuki smoothly took charge of the situation.

BACK AT THE SOHMA HOUSE

"Oh…Kyon-kyon, you just can't do anything right, can you?" Shigure sighed, a headache forming.

"Shut up!" Kyo hissed. He was back in human form, after an extremely embarrassing transformation in front of Lakukeshi.

"So…you know about the curse then?" Tohru happily inquired.

Lakukeshi nodded. Tohru's face lit up, and she smiled. "Now I have someone to talk to about the zodiac!"

The Sohmas said nothing, but all were thinking the same thing—would Lakukeshi be able to keep her memories?

"Too bad Ha'ri-kun left already. He could've thought of something…" Shigure moaned.

"I'm sorry! I must be so much trouble…" Lakukeshi said and bowed.

Shigure noted that both Yuki and Kyo turned slightly pink whenever they looked at Lakukeshi. Tohru suddenly gasped, looked at her watch, and quickly took off her apron. "Oh no! I'm late already! I'm going with Hatsuharu-kun to watch the movies!" Shigure nodded, and Tohru ran out the house. Tohru was spending a lot of time with Hatsuharu lately, and Akito seemed to approve. Kyo and Yuki had become particularly moody, but now they were acting almost normal. In fact, he noticed that Yuki had already started to call Lakukeshi "-kun". When Tohru had first came, Yuki had only addressed her as "Honda-san", and that was still the way it was.

Yuki interrupted his thoughts. "Please, Lakukeshi-kun, you're no trouble."

Shigure smiled cheerily and asked the same question he had asked Tohru so long ago: "Do you like to do housework?"

Lakukeshi, caught off guard, stuttered, "I…I guess…"

Flowers popped out of thin air as Shigure cried, "Then you're most welcome here! If you don't mind, you can share with Tohru; her room is upstairs."

And that is how Lakukeshi Takai came to live in the Sohma house, and our story can finally unfold.


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

**Lol...here's the 3rd chapter! Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket

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**Chapter 3**

"Kyo-kun! I found you!" Lakukeshi smiled and laughed triumphantly.

"WHAT! Oh! Whoa…" Kyo, taken by surprise, nearly fell off the roof.

Lakukeshi crawled over to him and looked at the trees and other foliage. "It's so pretty!" She said, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth of the sun's brilliant rays.

"Yeah…it is…" Kyo's eyes softened for a moment, and his face turned a light pink. Turning away so Lakukeshi wouldn't see him blushing, Kyo caught sight of Yuki. "Look…there's that stupid rat…" Kyo pointed. Lately, Lakukeshi seemed to be spending more and more time with Yuki. He hated to admit it, but he was growing more jealous every passing day.

Tohru had been going out with Hatsuharu for quite some time now. In fact, under her influence, he was not turning into Black Haru quite as much. They were usually playing with Momiji (who was growing more spoiled by Tohru every passing moment). At first, Kyo and Yuki hadn't known what to make of this, but now Tohru and Hatsuharu were so close it was normal to see them together. Ever since Lakukeshi had come to the Sohma household, both Yuki and Kyo had found themselves gradually attracted to her. She wasn't a replacement for Tohru or anything, but Lakukeshi had a quality of her own.

"Oh! You're right!" Lakukeshi jumped up and waved frantically at Yuki. "Yuki-kun!"

Yuki looked up, and waved back. Then he saw Kyo. His calm face twisted into a scowl, but then quickly changed whenever Lakukeshi called,

"Yuki-kun! Are you planting anything new?"

He smiled. When Lakukeshi had first arrived, she had been beaten, cut, and her clothes were in tatters. They had quickly taken her in, and Hatori had arrived to doctor her back to health. It really was amazing, that Lakukeshi could still manage to be so cheerful after all of her abuse.

"Strawberries. I'm planting strawberries." He smiled.

The sun shone brightly, and Lakukeshi's smiling face was illuminated in brightness as she said,

"Strawberries? I love strawberries!"

* * *

A little while later after spending some time with Kyo on the roof, Lakukeshi walked into the house to help Tohru make lunch. 

"Tohru-kun! What are we making today?"

Tohru looked up from cutting leeks. "Miso with leeks! But Kyo-kun doesn't like leeks, so just make him miso soup."

Lakukeshi nodded, and they set to work. Rolling up her sleeves, her arms were the very picture of old bruises and scars. Lakukeshi caught Tohru looking at them and smiled. "Don't worry. They're mostly healing."

Tohru nodded, but inwardly she wondered how could such a nice person like Lakukeshi have such a mean uncle to abuse her like that? Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Lakukeshi paused, and then said cheerfully, "I'll get it!"

Wondering who it could be, Lakukeshi opened the door and happily said,

"Hello! Welco—''

She never finished. A hand flashed out and struck her hard, making her fall over and skid across the floor. Immediately memories washed over her.

_Her uncle holding an empty beer bottle…_

_His alcoholic breath in her ear…_

_The pain of the scars so long ago…_

Eyes wide, Lakukeshi stared up at the person that she had escaped from; the very person she thought she would never see again—her uncle.

* * *

"AGH!" Lakukeshi screamed as her uncle raised a broken beer bottle glass and swung. 

"You thought you could run away, huh? You WENCH!" her uncle's angry bellows echoed in her mind.

Tears flowing, she raised her hands to protect herself as her uncle swung again. Shaking, she saw fresh blood oozing out of a new cut on her right hand.

"You stupid good-for-nothing girl!" her uncle yelled again and slapped her across the face. Crying, Lakukeshi huddled in a ball as her uncle struck her once more.

Just then, Yuki and Kyo ran down the stairs, alerted by Lakukeshi's screaming. Eyes wide, Yuki ran toward Lakukeshi's uncle, but Kyo got there first.

"Wha—!" Lakukeshi's uncle said as Kyo sent him sprawling with a kick.

"Never…ever…come back again!" Kyo's eyes narrowed in anger and he threw Lakukeshi's uncle out of the door. His footsteps could be heard receding rapidly away from the house. Turning back around, Kyo saw that Lakukeshi was standing, wobbly on her feet. She stumbled and fell into Kyo's arms.

Hugging the transformed cat tightly, her tears flowed freely. Never had anyone tried to help her, not even her own mother, who had eventually ran away, leaving her daughter behind. No one had cared or even made an effort…until Kyo.

Yuki stood nearby, smiling sadly as he watched the cat wipe away some of Lakukeshi's tears with a paw. All of a sudden, Tohru came running, still holding the knife.

Seeing Lakukeshi so battered, Tohru totally freaked out and started screaming and waving her arms, which unfortunately still held the knife. Waving it around crazily, she shrieked, "AH! Lakukeshi-kun! Are you OK!"

Lakukeshi gave a choked giggle at the sight of Tohru waving around the knife frantically with Yuki backed up against the wall, eyeing the knife. Hugging the cat a last time, she set him down gently. Finally…finally, she had found people who cared. Looking at the cut on her hand, she smiled. Just like the cut, she was hurt and bled, but also like the cut, she would heal.

Yes…like the cut, she would heal, and become together once more.


	4. Kyo's Transformation

**Hi everybody! Here's the 4th chapter, chock full of Lakukehi's troubles...hope you enjoy it! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

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**Chapter 4**

"Ah! Kazuma-san! We haven't heard from you in a while!" Shigure's voice carried down the hallway. Everyone stopped eating, and paused to listen. "What? Oh…yes, yes, of course…" Shigure said again. Then footsteps could be heard coming toward the dining room. The door slid open, and there stood Shigure and Kazuma, Yuki and Kyo's martial arts teacher, and Kyo's "father".

"M-master?" Kyo choked on a mouthful of rice.

"Kyo. You seem to be doing well." Kazuma's voice radiated bright and strong.

"Oh! Kazuma-san…hello." Tohru hastily bowed, followed by Lakukeshi and Yuki.

Kazuma smiled. "No need…I have very important matters to discuss with Shigure…please excuse us." With that, he walked calmly out the door with the bewildered dog to Shigure's office.

"What is it?" Shigure asked, worried. The truth was, he already knew; in fact, he had expected it. Tohru had passed the "test", and now it was Lakukeshi's turn. "Are you sure? Will she…do well? And, Kazuma, are you willing to accept the risks and consequences? Kyo, he—''

Kazuma cut him off. "Yes. I am willing to once more hurt others…to help others…" his voice drifted off sadly.

Shigure said nothing. Truth to be told, he thought Lakukeshi would pass. The irony was that they had supposedly "healed" her, and now they would only be torturing her—breaking her mind, heart, and soul.

**Was this really worth it?**

THE NEXT DAY

"Lakukeshi-kun? Are you all right? You're not eating…" Tohru asked, concerned.

Lakukeshi nodded dumbly. She had not touched a grain of rice, nor had she touched her glass, either. This feeling…this feeling of dread kept enveloping her, and she didn't know why! To add to that, she had had a strange meeting with Kazuma last night. She had been walking in the darkness of the house to get a drink of water in the kitchen when Kazuma had appeared out of nowhere.

"Lakukeshi-san. If you don't mind, tomorrow after dinner, may you join me outside for a talk?"

She had been too surprised to say anything, but apparently Kazuma had taken it as a yes. Now she was too nervous to eat anything. "Lakukeshi-kun? If you don't eat anything, you'll get hungry." Yuki said, his eyes worried.

Kyo said nothing. For some reason, that hurt and made Lakukeshi even more nervous than meeting Kazuma. This feeling…she had never felt so emotional before. Mixed feelings swarmed inside her, and she felt dizzy. When she had lived with her uncle, she had steeled herself; she had made herself strong. She had never cried whenever her uncle hit her. But whenever her uncle had come to the Sohma house, she had cried. To Lakukeshi, this was a sign of weakness. At that time, her eyes hardened and she made a vow—she would remain strong.

_No matter what.

* * *

_

Grabbing an umbrella, Lakukeshi looked up at the pouring sky and sighed. Even thought it was raining, Kazuma still wanted to meet her outside. Being careful not to slip on the steps, Lakukeshi slowly walked up to the dripping oak tree. There stood Kazuma…and Kyo.

"Kyo-kun? Kazuma-san?" What's going on?" Lakukeshi asked.

Kyo shrugged. Turning to Kazuma, he asked, "Master, why did you bring me out here in crappy weather like this? You know how I hate rain…"

Kazuma's eyes closed for a while, and it was completely silent except for the rain and occasional thunder. Finally he spoke, his voice a dry whisper.

"Kyo. Please forgive me…and Lakukeshi, please…"

Confused, Kyo and Lakukeshi said nothing. Kazuma gave a sound between a whimper and a groan. Looking up, his eyes hardened and his voice became harsh.

"Kyo! You may not live in shadow forever! You must accept yourself for what you are!"

Kyo's eyes grew huge as he realized what Kazuma was going to do. "NO!" he tried to run, but Kazuma caught his arm and pulled off his bracelet.

Lakukeshi froze. Before her eyes, Kyo was changing. His back lengthened, and his neck grew longer. His skin blackened into a dark gray, and his eyes were bulging…huge. Falling onto all fours, Kyo's face grew into a short snout, and his nostrils became slits. "AAGH!" the monster released a yell. It was Kyo's voice, but heavily laced with a deep harsh guttural voice unlike anything Lakukeshi had ever heard. Shaking and paralyzed, Lakukeshi's umbrella slipped from her lifeless fingers. It fell with a splash to the ground, and the ugly monster turned to look at her. Immediately any past thoughts of being strong disappeared from her mind.

"K-kyo-kun?" her own voice sounded strange. "I-is that y-you?"

The monster said nothing; it only jumped high into the air and into the forest. The stench of something worse than a thousand rotten eggs filled Lakukeshi. Choking, she struggled to stay upright. Nearby, Kazuma had bitten his lip so hard that blood dripped. Closing his eyes, he shook with the pains of mental agony.

**Had he made the right decision?

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**

"Kyo-kun…" Lakukeshi whispered, willing herself to stay strong. She pushed aside the scraggly interfering branches in the forest as she tried to find Kyo. The stench grew stronger, and Lakukeshi threw up, finally falling to her knees beside a huge sycamore tree. "No…I have to keep going…" she whispered.

MEANWHILE

"Kazuma…you…you did the right thing." Shigure said sadly. Kazuma, however, still refused to get out of the rain and continued to stare intently at the forest. Nearby, Tohru was in her room, crying and hoping that her friend would make it. Tears running down her cheeks, Tohru remembered the panic and fear that she herself had felt so long ago. _Lakukeshi…_she thought. _Lakukeshi, please help Kyo…_

Kyo ran through the forest frantically. _She saw me…SHE SAW ME!_ Finally stopping at a large stone in a clearing, he pounded on it angrily. In his mind, he saw Lakukeshi's face over and over again…her face horrified, fear stamped all over it. _No…please…_his huge monster eyes closed slowly. _No…_

"KYO-KUN!" Lakukeshi screamed desperately as she scanned the dark waving trees. She was now covered in scratches, due to those infernal branches that just wouldn't get out of her way. Trying not to cry, she ran to her right, extremely frustrated. Then…

she stopped in her tracks, staring at the grotesque monster. It turned around and stared at her. "Kyo-kun?" Lakukeshi approached him timidly.

"NO!" the deep voice rang in the air. The monster lashed out at her, ripping her school uniform and cutting her arm with his angry lethal claws. The force sent her sprawling a few feet away.

The monster groaned in agony; the sound was like broken hinges magnified a thousand times its volume. "Why are you even here?" the monster said harshly. "You don't care. My own mother hated me enough to…to…" it broke off.

"To kill herself?" Lakukeshi whispered. She looked into his eyes, and she could see the pain of being cursed; the agony of being turned away and separated from the others.

"Kyo-kun…to tell the truth, I'm scared. I am so afraid of you right now. But…" her eyes filled with tears. "But I still want us to be together. Come back, Kyo-kun. No matter what you look like, no matter what you are, I will always accept you."

The monster said nothing; it only raised its head up to the sky. Closing his eyes, Kyo's body shimmered and he transformed back into human form. Looking at Lakukeshi, he gazed at her and smiled. "Thank you…" Lakukeshi, eyes wide, was frozen as Kyo hugged her gently and turned into a cat. The rain poured down more slowly and the clouds opened up. The sun granted its brilliant rays to the Earth as the girl hugged the cat—who had finally found a place in the world, and someone who accepted him.

LATER

Kazuma smiled sadly as he saw Lakukeshi stagger from the forest, holding the cat. Shigure and Tohru's relief showed openly on their faces. In her arms, the cat opened his eyes and gazed at Lakukeshi's tired but happy face. Smiling as only a cat could smile; his thoughts were one and the same:

_Thank you…_


End file.
